The best pastebin sites in 2026
Most “best pastebin” lists rank the same five sites and call it a day. This one starts with the job you are trying to do: share a snippet in chat, keep a log long enough for someone to read it, publish a public paste, or pipe text into a terminal. The right answer changes with the job.
1. pastesite.com — best for fast, anonymous sharing
pastesite.com is built around the original pastebin promise: paste text, get a link, share it. No account is needed to create or read a paste. It supports 30+ languages with syntax highlighting, public or unlisted visibility, expiry from 10 minutes to one month, burn-after-read, password protection, custom URLs, screenshot capture, and a raw text view. Signed-in users get a dashboard, folders, edit history, a public profile, and API keys for terminal use.
Best for: quick debugging help, logs, config snippets, one-time links, and anyone who does not want another account.
Trade-off: it is intentionally focused on text and code. If you need a full document editor or a permanent multi-file repository, use a different tool.
2. Pastebin.com — best for the public paste archive
Pastebin.com is the long-running incumbent. It is useful when you want a public, searchable paste and the familiar format. An account unlocks more control, and the site has a large existing archive. The trade-off is the ad-heavy interface and the account prompts that many people are trying to escape.
Best for: public pastes that you want to live in a well-known archive.
3. GitHub Gist — best for versioned code
GitHub Gist is a git repository in a small package. It supports multiple files, revision history, comments, and embedding. It requires a GitHub account, which is a feature if the snippet belongs to a project and a barrier if you just need a link in the next 30 seconds.
Best for: snippets you will edit, discuss, or keep indefinitely.
4. JustPaste.it — best for formatted notes
JustPaste.it is a simple rich-text sharing tool. It is good for notes, instructions, and text that needs bold/italic/links rather than code highlighting. It is not optimized for raw output or terminal workflows.
Best for: a readable note you want to send to a non-technical reader.
5. Pastes.io — best for text plus screenshots/files
Pastes.io combines pastes with screenshot capture, annotations, images, and files. It is a strong choice when the explanation needs a visual. It has free and paid tiers, and its feature set is broader than a plain text paste.
Best for: bug reports, UI walkthroughs, and visual context.
What about Mozilla Pastebin?
Mozilla decommissioned its pastebin service in March 2025. If you are following an old bookmark, the service is gone. See the Mozilla Pastebin alternative guide for replacements.
Comparison at a glance
| Site | Account | Expiry / burn | Syntax highlighting | Raw / API |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pastesite.com | Not required | Expiry + burn-after-read + password | 30+ languages | Raw text + API keys |
| Pastebin.com | Optional | Expiry + burn-after-read | 200+ languages | Developer API key |
| GitHub Gist | Required | No | Yes | Git / GitHub API |
| JustPaste.it | Not required | Limited | Limited | Browser-focused |
| Pastes.io | Optional | Expiry + password | Yes | API keys |
Features change; check each service before relying on a specific option. Third-party names are trademarks of their owners.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free pastebin?
For anonymous text and code sharing, pastesite.com is a strong free option because it needs no account and supports expiry, passwords, burn-after-read, and raw output. Pastebin.com is the better-known public archive, and GitHub Gist is better for versioned code.
Which pastebin has no account requirement?
pastesite.com, JustPaste.it, and Pastes.io all allow sharing without an account. Pastebin.com allows anonymous pastes too, but pushes account features. GitHub Gist requires a GitHub account.
Can I use a pastebin from the terminal?
Yes. pastesite.com supports API keys and a raw text endpoint, so you can create and read pastes with curl. See the API guide for examples.
Is Pastebin.com the same as a pastebin?
Pastebin.com is one pastebin service; “pastebin” is the generic name for the category. Many alternatives exist with different features and privacy defaults.